Day 75-76

Day 75

Today is a day I have been waiting for for a very long time, I’ve wanted to go to a sumo wrestling tournament FOREVER and it’s super high on my bucket list, and today I got to give it a big tick off!

Eagerly jumping out of bed we got dressed and headed for a late breakfast before going to our meeting point for midday. We had booked our tickets through a company rather than direct as trying to buy them directly is next to impossible as they sell out within minutes!

Meeting our guide Miki and the rest of our group- only about 10 of us, Miki then talked us through the history of sumo wrestling and the rules and generally what to expect and how to be respectful. She also made us a cheat sheet that laid out each match so we could choose someone to cheer for! This was all really helpful as without this explanation I think we would have been at a total loss!

Sumo wrestling does not have any weight classes so we saw some of the heaviest sumos- 200kg against some of the lightest about 130kg. It does feel very unfair and I don’t think the lightest guy ever one but our guide was adamant that with the right techniques the lighter guy had a fighting chance, rather him than me that’s all I can say!

Sumo is instead ranked by divisions with there being over 10 divisions sumo wrestling fights actually start very early in the morning but most people don’t go until the top two divisions start fighting as they fight last. In order for a sumo wrestler to not be demoted from their division they must win at least 8/15 matches. With matches lasting a maximin of about 30 seconds it’s a lot of training for a very short amount to prove yourself in!

The tournaments last 15 days with each sumo having one fight a day, and the champion wins a 29kg solid silver trophy which looks bloody heavy! They also win sake, rice, wagyu, pickled plums and macaroons. Our guide very point blankly explained that this is due to them needing to eat so much so it’s like being repaid for all the money they’ve spent on food! The average sumo wrestler eats 20,000 calories a day which is pretty mind blowing if you compare it to the 2,500 calories that is considered the limit for adults.

The actual rules of sumo are quite simple. The first sumo wrestler to be removed from the fighting circle or touch the ground with anything but his feet is the loser. Miki then explained a bit of background on a few of the fighters we would be able to see today and surprisingly a large amount of the sumos are from Mongolia which we definitely didn’t expect!

After Miki explained all of this to us and more we headed over to the stadium and found our seats and we were thrilled that we had a really good view! We were only three rows back on the second level so we could see very well and had the luxury of comfortable seats as if you sit on the first floor you only have a pillow!

As we began to watch the marches unfold we quickly ran out to the food vendors to grab some snacks and settled in for an extraordinary couple of ours! As we moved up through the divisions the stadium slowly filled until it was packed for the top division. The top two divisions have a ritual they do before every match which consists of drinking water given by another sumo for purification and throwing salt across the fighting circle. You’ll see in the pictures I’ve taken that there is a structure hanging above the ring. This is meant to represent a Shinto shrine which is believed to protect both fighters from being injured.

We got to watch about 40 matches which was incredible and we were also gifted cheering towels which have the name of one wrestler on so when it’s there match you can wave your towel around to show your support! It was the most extraordinary day and the atmosphere towards the end was buzzing with people in the crowd very passionate about who won the matches. I’m so so glad that we managed to experience the sumo wrestling properly at a tournament and so so happy and just loved every second. I came away beaming what an awesome day and an excellent way to help round off our trip!

Day 76

Our last day in Japan I can’t believe it!
We’ve pretty much done everything we wanted to do in Tokyo so we started today at the skytree which goes up to 450m so we got some lovely panoramic views across Tokyo and what a city it is! It really is a hustling and bustling place with a great atmosphere we’ve really loved our collective time in Tokyo. After enjoying a nice lunch we headed to the Teamlab planets art exhibit down by Tokyo Bay Area. We weren’t really sure what to expect but nothing could have prepared us for it, it was completely out of this world! We started by taking off our shoes and socks and then walking through running water! The whole concept behind it is “feeling and experiencing the art with your whole body”. And the exhibits were incredible, there was a room filled with knee high water with dancing fish and flowers projected onto the surface, large light up balls, beautiful hanging and dancing lights, hanging flowers that were alive which was extraordinary, truly out of this world when it’s all put together. 100% the best art exhibition/experience I’ve ever had, it felt like my whole brain was illuminated with creativity, such an amazing time.

Whilst wondering back towards the subway we saw a rent a bbq place so we wondered in and managed to rent a bbq with a lovely atmosphere and view of the skyscrapers in the background. A lovely way to wind down our trip and spend our last evening reminiscing on our once in a life time trip, we are so blessed!

We are currently trying to pack everything so wish us luck, hopefully it will all fit!! I can’t believe we are flying home tomorrow morning and saying goodbye to this wonderful country, it will be seriously missed!!

To finish off u thought I’d make a short list of things in Japan that surprised us/ how things are different in Japan for a bit of fun.

1) the cities are immaculate. No cigarette butts on the floor and no rubbish on the streets despite there being no bins anywhere!

2) even in the most rural places you will never be too far away from a drink vending machine which gives you hot coffee- something that will be sorely missed!

3) you’re not meant to drink, eat or talk on the public transport apart from the bullet trains- don’t ask me why but it’s true!

4) it’s such a culture of respect here, at no point have we felt particularly out of place or uncomfortable and have always been treated very well by the locals.

5) a much more cash based economy than the UK with most Japanese people paying for most things with cash instead of cards.

6) some restaurants use robots to serve you and this is seen as very normal.

7) the trains are never late in our experience.

I’m sure there is a whole lot more but off the top of my head that’s what I can think of! Thank you to everyone who has read along and followed our journey, I hope I haven’t talked your ear off too much although I’m sure many of my friends will tell you that I have a bit of a habit of doing that! Despite being sad to leave I’m very much looking forward to seeing my family and getting back to some good food!!Read more